Bold and Cold for the Cascades

[bedellympian]

I've been reading The Bold and Cold by Pullan after my Rockies trip and it got me thinking about what a similar list would look like for my home range... the Oregon Cascades. For those that don't know, the Bold and Cold is 25 climbs, 5 groups of 5 routes, in the Canadian Rockies. Each group is supposed to be training for the next tier. The list was developed by famous climbs Urs Kallen and Dave Cheesmond. The five categories in the book are: Shakedown Routes, Maiden Routes, Middle Earth Routes, Galdiator Routes, Titans. All the routes are quite serious and the categories progress in commitment, length and remoteness. The crux pitch grade seems to have little to do with it.

I think it would be fun to make a similar list for Washignton or the North Cascades... I think the routes would be more diverse there and the "Titans" category would actually be a bit more legit. Though still no where near what the Rockies offer. Curious to see other folks routes. Maybe for other ranges too.

Here is my incomplete list. It is grouped more by category as that seemed to make more sense for this range.

The Dumb and Chossy: Routes in the Oregon Cascades

Crag Routes: (could include some from Smith, Beacon etc. here but wanted them to actually be in the range, once you add those two the list is kinda endless, any other multi-pitch adventure routes in the Oregon Cascades that form a decent challenge?)

Exploring the Axis, Cougar Crag
Dod Route, Turkey Monster
Barad Dur, Wolf Rock

(mostly) Snow Routes:

Reid Headwall, Hood
Thayer Headwall, North Sister
High Noon, Broken Top
Jeff Park Glacier, Jefferson
Right Gully, Hood

Technical Mountain Routes: (need one more, but Oregon is pretty lacking is this dept unless you have suicidal tendencies)

West Ridge, Illumination
Skylight, Illumination
West Ridge, Washington
East Buttress, Washington

Ice Adventures:

Eliot Headwall, Hood
Center Gully, Hood
Full Richardson, Broken Top
Fric/Amos, Hood
Emde/Ablao, Middle Sister

Big Lines:

Yocum Ridge, Hood
Complete East Buttress, North Sister
Arachnophobia, Hood
Brainless Child, Thielsen
After Image, Strawberries (not technically in the Oregon Cascades or in character with the others but I wanted a 5th and this is head and shoulders above other routes in sustained technical difficulty, and more remote)

 

[geosean]

This is a rad idea!! but since Washington's better than Oregon I've never done any of these routes.

I'm joking, kind of, but seriously keep it up this sounds really cool!

[bedellympian]

3 hours ago, geosean said:

This is a rad idea!! but since Washington's better than Oregon I've never done any of these routes.

I'm joking, kind of, but seriously keep it up this sounds really cool!

Well you're not wrong.

[Lostbolt]

Nice idea and not a horrible list!

[mountainsloth]

Oooo! Let’s do WA next!

[bedellympian]

I think some titans might be Southern Pickets Traverse, Mongo Ridge, Megalodon Ridge, Wayne's Logan Ridge, Hard Mox's big face, Silverstar Traverse... any other contenders?

I think two of the big roadside routes would be Thin Red Line or Liberty Crack and Goat's Beard for ice.

Other big routes that should probably be in there would be things like Bear N Butt, Slesse NE Butt, Terror Stoddard/N Butt, Stuart N Ridge, one of the routes on that big butt of Bonanza.

Some winter routes that should be on the list IMO... Index N Face, Watusi Rodeo?, Buck Mountain N face, Polish on Colfax?, maybe something on N face of Snoqualmie?

 

[Yttrium]

Some more options.

Oregon technical routes:
I presume your "East Buttress" is the "east face" of Mt Washington. So...
Southeast Buttress (aka SE spur) is longer in height/length than East Face/buttress (more roped climbing), and notably less risky (PG-or-R but not X), similar grade, same time-approach commitment, same rare east side destination of the peak.

Comment...
Much of the lower West Ridge (Mt Washington Oregon) is mere scrambling over endless piles of broken talus on the lower ridge. And the very toe of that buttress is not actually climbed, but most people just go around the toe on its right, then start up a few hundred feet higher onto the ridge. 
Consider instead using the direct 5.8 (called Jern's Call) then doing the upper portion of West Ridge. This in total provides a much more committing line, minus all the heaps of lower west ridge dinnerplate 3rd/4th class debris.

The Northwest Dihedral (on Mt Washington) is a nice technical lead route (about 5.6 at crux) and its all roped climbing all the way till you reach the final 4th class easy terrain closer to the summit.

Mt Hood
East Ridge of South Chamber 6.5 R
This is a long roped lead, some wild sections of choss, but still worth being listed. Note that any route on Illumination is a mind-bending experience (where you better know your game -- skill and ability to deal with choss).

Note most Oregon mountain peaks rock routes are "choss" climbing (PG-R-X) no escaping that fact. Learn to play on it with skill, or learn to avoid it.
 

[bedellympian]

@Yttrium Thanks for the recommendations! 

The East Buttress is different from the East Face... it's in Oregon High. East face sounds horrific. East Butt actually looks somewhat appealing.

SE Spur would be a good one. Per the Bold and Cold I was trying to do different faces or features for most of the routes and SE Spur and E Butt felt similar, but I think we work with what we have.

Given that the shortest route in Bold and cold is a 7 pitch/1000 ft route on Yamnuska I was also trying trying to keep routes somewhat long... though again we have to work with what we've got.

[Yttrium]

Mt Washington
Additional comments:

West Ridge route
The "notch" mentioned in Oregon High book is at 7120' elevation (per GoogleEarth imagery). The summit is about 7800'. Total possible elevation gain for technical climbing = 680' height maximum. The shortest mountain rock route in the Bold/Cold Oregon list?

The initial P1 is a chossy mixture, and can be readily bypassed anywhere between the 7120' and 7250' elevation by stepping out onto the Cascade Dinnerplates zone. I have rope soloed the West Ridge (using gear only on the upper 5.6 chimney), then some years later ropeless soloed Jern's Call (or near it) then up the upper part of West Ridge. Also have soloed (roped and ropeless) the West Face, and NW Dihedral, and North Ridge.

East Buttress route
We were on SE Spur (my third time on it) and had encountered two climbers on P1-P2 gully of the East Buttress route (we were midway up the SE Spur at the time). We literally had to STOP climbing (for their safety), sit for 1-2 hours waiting till they got up out of the initial gully onto the route where it traverses out right. Because we were climbing the upper portion of the route on the SE Spur its a guarantee that random loose rocks may tumble off the route directly down that ravine. The upper part of SE Spur has plenty of loose rock. That is why I mentioned that the East Buttress route is not entirely a pretty route (though the Oregon High description certainly makes it sound stellar). That initial ravine gully is a bulls-eye zone if one single random stone breaks lose from up high - you have nowhere to run.   IMO the SE Spur route is a more ideal east side route (and certainly the more travelled route by climbers).

Edited October 7, 2023 by Yttrium

[bedellympian]

On 10/7/2023 at 10:12 AM, Yttrium said:

West Ridge route
The shortest mountain rock route in the Bold/Cold Oregon list?

East Buttress route
IMO the SE Spur route is a more ideal east side route (and certainly the more travelled route by climbers).

For the W Ridge: Give me another technical rock route that goes up a different mountain feature in the state that is longer and involves multiple pitches harder than mid-fifth. Happy to take ideas.

For SE spur: I agree with you. We have four routes in that category and B/C is sets of 5 so we can now call it:

Technical Mountain Routes:

West Ridge, Illumination

Skylight, Illumination

West Ridge, Washington

East Buttress, Washington

SE Spur, Washington

I don't see a reason to take the E Butt off unless we can find a route that is at least equal in length and difficulty. The Bold and Cold is not really a list of safe and classic routes. Most of them are pretty dangerous in some way (significant overhead hazard, runouts and terrible choss are found on most of them), and while SE Spur is more popular, it's not hard to find a day when you're alone on that side of the mountain.

 

[Yttrium]

Any of these may be viable "Crag routes" to consider. Most of these are in the older western Cascade Mtn range (except StPD):
-Peregrine Traverse, Acker Rock, 5.7, 1500' in length.
-Needle Rock, the Nieland Route (aka standard route), 5.8, about 200' tall.
-SW Buttress, 5.8 R, Spire Rock (Triangulation Peak zone), 500' route length.
-Steel & Stone, Opal wall, 5.10b A2 (or 5.12), 220' tall.
-St Peters Dome (Col Gorge), Darr Route (south face) 5.6 A3, 250' tall, [StPD]. Well its mostly nailing so...maybe not.

[bedellympian]

On 10/15/2023 at 3:01 PM, Yttrium said:

Any of these may be viable "Crag routes" to consider. Most of these are in the older western Cascade Mtn range (except StPD):
-Peregrine Traverse, Acker Rock, 5.7, 1500' in length.
-Needle Rock, the Nieland Route (aka standard route), 5.8, about 200' tall.
-SW Buttress, 5.8 R, Spire Rock (Triangulation Peak zone), 500' route length.
-Steel & Stone, Opal wall, 5.10b A2 (or 5.12), 220' tall.
-St Peters Dome (Col Gorge), Darr Route (south face) 5.6 A3, 250' tall, [StPD]. Well its mostly nailing so...maybe not.

Done Peregrine Traverse and thought it was very chill, Where Eagles Dare would be a possibility, though its pretty chill too.

Can you tell me more about the SW Butt on Spire Rock?

A couple other possibilities I found that are in the Oregon Cascades...

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/117564379/limpy-express-line

https://www.mountainproject.com/route/111746750/the-prize

[Yttrium]

Yep indeed, SW Oregon has some real prizes (old man rock, Eagles dare, etc); check with Greg who might know a few other options (like perhaps McKinley Rock).

Spire Rock area is still closed from the 9-2020 forest fire (its already been 3 years and USFS will likely drag it out further). The fire burned that zone extensively to the extreme. Crux first pitch, easy roaming second pitch, steep short third pitch, and rising angled traverse pitch to top (each pitch being about 70-120'). Perhaps not as technical as your likely seeking for the list.

An alternate option might be Razorblade Spire (West Buttress 5.10b). Three hours approach, then the climb (several more hours), the 3 hours hike out). Its rarely climbed due to logistics. About a dozen ascents in 25+ years. The route though, is quite short, about 200'+ tall.